


いつ(も)｜(Al)ways

by JadeRiverDay



Series: Children of Time [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Immortals, Time Travel, i mean the time travel doesn't really show up, it's like mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25093306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeRiverDay/pseuds/JadeRiverDay
Summary: Together begins the sixth second of eternity.
Relationships: Canada/Vietnam (Hetalia)
Series: Children of Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817386
Kudos: 4





	いつ(も)｜(Al)ways

**Author's Note:**

> if you've watched DW and you know about the Doctor and River Song yeah it's basically that except I never talk about what happens in between but instead of them never meeting again, well...

“Tell me, Matthew, how many seconds are there in eternity?”

She’s back and he can scarcely believe it, but her voice, her presence, it’s all still the same as last time he saw her, but there’s one thing that’s changed since then. One thing that’s changed for both of them, and only they are the ones who know what that change is.

He thought that seeing her as a child would be the last of it; after all, their timelines were backwards, so the further he moved into the future, the farther into her past he would venture. Same went for her, only with his past and her future, but Vivian was never so patient, so ready to give up on the man that loved her before she even knew him.

That’s why she came back. That’s why she jumped through centuries of his past to meet him again, at the end of his timeline if he even had one. But why she asked him this question is beyond him. Then again, he was always the patient one, not her.

“It depends what a second of eternity is,” he says carefully. “It’s not the short amount of time that everyone else thinks an ordinary second is; it can’t be. People’s lives are short, and so is their definition of a second, but eternity is much longer. Eternity can only be imagined by the immortal.”

“So how many seconds are there?”

They both know he didn’t answer the question, but now he pauses. He wonders why she would ask such a question but then he remembers that she never needed to wait for anything. Just a jump, and she would be at her destination, whenever that may be, while he would have to continue forward, going along with the flow of time. If there was anyone in the universe who understood, it would be him.

They are both children of time. They define eternity.

“The first second began when the universe was formed. That was when all time began,” he explains, mostly to himself but still loud enough for Vivian to hear him. “The second second began when stars and planets formed and the universe stabilized. The third second was when life first developed and began to evolve. The fourth second was when…” his voice trails off. It’s obvious that the seconds are nowhere near equal to each other, but with how he’s defining them right now, the seconds only get shorter and shorter. “It was when I was born. The fifth second has to be when you were born, and the sixth has to be… now, when both children of time find each other again.” He glances at her face, gauging her expression, which even now, is still carefully neutral.

“They aren’t equal.”

“Division is arbitrary. We both know that.”

She doesn’t respond, so he takes a moment to take his glasses off and rub his eyes. Just like last time, they both stand on the same skyscraper staring at the same moon. There is no eclipse this time, so he wonders if that’s an omen. Something about a bright future? What a joke.

“How did you do it?” she asks after a long moment of silence.

“Do what?”

“Live.”

It’s a simple answer, but it means something so much more that only Matthew and Vivian know. He has met her over and over again, heading deeper and deeper into her past, and he has seen how she lived, or didn’t. It was more like just surviving for her, really. She was always jumping, always running, and it didn't seem like she had a choice.

“I could ask the same of you,” he answers honestly. “I think to an extent, there was a factor of luck with it: being lucky enough to be born in a good place to good people.”

“So was my luck so terrible that…?” She doesn’t continue that question, for he already knows. Instead, she shakes her head and says, “both of us have always been running in time and through time. It’s just that while I’ve always been running away, you have always been running towards something.”  _ Towards me. _

Now that she points it out, Matthew realizes how true her statement is. He has seen her run and he remembers how he always looked for that woman who called his name despite him never having seen her before. He remembers (how embarrassing) how he pursued her even though all she had to do was jump and escape, but she never did. She remembered him too, just differently from how he remembered her.

“I’m willing to forfeit it, Matthew.”

_ What? _ He tilts his head in confusion and brushes the hair out of his eyes. He’s sure she can see the confusion in his eyes.

“I’m willing to give up time, jumping, all of it.” He can’t see her all that well in the dim light of the moon, but he can hear her sigh. “No one can run forever, Matthew, not even us.”

He hesitates, taking the time to choose his words carefully. “What do you want to do, then?”

“Stay with you.” She says it so quietly, but he still manages to hear it. “I want to stay with you for however long we have to live.”

“Are you sure?” the words spill out of his mouth before he realizes what he’s saying. If this were last time, he’d be overjoyed at her words, but now, he’s not so sure. Now he knows that time, her ability, is her everything, and he can’t make her give that up. “Vivian, I-”

“No.” She shakes her head firmly. “It’s time that we stop running, Matthew. I know you wanted me last time, but now that you know who I am, who I was, and now that I know who you used to be, this is my decision. No more jumping. No more being a child of time anymore. I just want to be Vivian and I want to be with you.”

She always leaves him speechless, but she’s observant and she doesn’t need his words for any confirmation. She never has. Just his widened eyes, lips parted only slightly, that is enough of a reaction for her.

“No more long way or short way,” she adds. “Just our way. Together.”

It takes him a moment to compose himself, and then he nods. “Together it is.”

So begins the sixth second of eternity.


End file.
